Not content to simply smash records, scale imposing peaks, and cross the earth’s most forbidding terrain, a new breed of adventurer has emerged that’s determined to do it all without any mechanical help. Team N2i is currently traversing Antarctica, heading for the Pole of Inaccessibility–the point furthest from the coast in any direction, and getting there by ski and kite pulk. If cruising across the ice by kite doesn’t sound so bad to you, remember that wind-power in Antarctica can equal a wind-chill of -50º or lower, then multiply that by the 1,100km the team plans to cover in sections of 100k and 14-16 hours per day. The pole has only been reached once before, in 1958, by a Russian team that left behind a meteorological station and a bust of Lenin as a time capsule. Team N2i left in December, and are now only 147k from the pole; you can see their current GPS location on this nifty interactive map on the their site, and read updates posted via satellite link.

Even more amazingly badass are Colin Angus and Julie Wafaei, who circumnavigated the globe completely under their own power, by foot, oar, ski and bicycle, from June, 2004 to May, 2006. In the process they rowed across the Atlantic from Portugal to Costa Rica, becoming the first to ever do so. For this feat, and many others, National Geographic Adventure named them the “Adventurers of the Year.” Our travel news show, The Map, caught up with Colin and Julie in New York at the Adventures in Travel Expo. Take a gander at this week’s brand-new episode for clips of the interview.

– “UK polar team set to make history” (BBC)
– “Adventurers of the Year: The New Magellans” (National Geographic Adventure)